


Discovery at Sea and a Little Friend

by FullmetalDevil



Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: A little fun one shot, And Now For Something Completely Different, Benny is a jellyfish demon, Mer AU for MerMay, MerMay 2020, characters borrowed from ZanzaFlux, jellybenny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:55:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24208540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FullmetalDevil/pseuds/FullmetalDevil
Summary: Tom seizes a moment to go fishing as he knew he wouldn't get another chance before his daughter is born and he would be home for a time to care for her. What he planned on being a simple quick run turned into a hunt for a distress call and fishing up more then what he bargained for.
Comments: 8
Kudos: 19





	Discovery at Sea and a Little Friend

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ZanzaFlux](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZanzaFlux/gifts).



> OK! Letting all of you know this is completely non-canon to the stitched AU as it is for MerMay. A lot of this is part of a collaboration project with ZanzaFlux.
> 
> Benny rather then being the little devildoll is a little jellyfish demon that can be found here: https://fullmetaldevil-blog.tumblr.com/post/617158439611826176/jellybenny-since-its-may-and-in-turn-mermay-i 
> 
> Jason and June Anderson both belong to my good friend ZanzaFlux here and Tumblr

The early morning rays broke though the fading dark clouds of the storm from the night before as a town nestled near the coastline began to stir. It’s residents slowly leaving their homes to welcome the better weather as well as to inspect the damages from the night's storm. Boats lined the piers by their owners' homes bobbing gently in the waters while they were covered in seaweed and debris that got blown around from the winds. A few unlucky boats were run aground from the lack of attention to their anchors or their ropes to dock them at their ports with their respective owners struggling to get them back into the water often begging for others to help in moving them. Children gleefully raced up and down the beaches chasing one another while their parents shouted for them to cease their play and to help them clean up their ships and boats that provided their livelihood.

One fisherman peered out through the windows of his kitchen, his brown eyes catching the hints of the mast from his vessel that rested within the comforts of the small pier and cove he had painstakingly built in years past. He was thankful that, from what he could see, that his boat had fared well despite the storm and he knew that now the sea was well enough for him to venture out. He took a few more sips of his coffee enjoying the tranquility of the morning listening to the sounds of the waves before a small knock at the doorway drew his attention to the biggest love of his life other than the sea, Allison.

“I take it you’re gonna be heading out?” The black haired woman looked upon her husband with tired worried eyes as she leaned against the doorway, her belly swollen from the baby they were expecting.

Tom smiled warmly at her getting up from the table to meet her in the doorway. “Don’t worry. I’ll only be gone for a few hours, just a quick run to restock the cooler and to sell some off to the market, just in case another storm comes and so I don’t have to leave the house for awhile.” He tried to reassure her.

“Just be careful.” Allison leaned against him. “I know the waters are calm now, but that doesn’t mean everything below is. Storms always seem to churn up the seafloor waking things up.”

“I’ll be fine.” Tom gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze looking into her eyes. “I’m sticking close to home, I know these waters very well.”

Allison nodded in understanding before trying to help Thomas with preparing a few meals to take with him only to get waved away by the man telling her to take it easy because of the baby. She huffed in response but knew her husband had a point. The baby was due at any time and the last thing she needed was to strain herself, but darn it if she wasn’t going to do at least something. Tom laughed as Allison insisted on at least letting her make him sandwiches with him bringing her the ingredients while she sat at the table. Once the cooler was packed and ready to go, he gathered up the ingredients for her and wished her a farewell and if she needed anything, to use the radio to message him on board or if it was an emergency to call the neighbor to help her. Allison gave him her word as Tom bid her farewell before gathering up his things heading to the door.

The salty air caressed Tom’s cheeks as his eyes gazed upon the waves licking the shores near his home, his fishing boat bobbing up and down next to the pier it was anchored next to. Much to his relief, his boat appeared to be fine as the turbulent night didn’t seem to bother it none the least. Everything was exactly as he had left it, say for the bits of washed up seaweed stuck to portions of the deck. Reaffirming his grip on his cooler, Tom paced towards his dock frowning at the bits of net and debris lacing the beach along his path to the boat. Taking care in his step, Tom hopped aboard his boat sparing a moment to set his cooler in his cabin for later before grabbing some trash bags. He hopped off the boat and took a few minutes to drift along the sands gathering up the bits of trash and broken net that littered his stretch of beach. He had to admit that he detested how much debris floated in the ocean as he valued the sea, it gave him his livelihood and is the origin of life on earth. He couldn’t fathom as to why so many littered within it.

His eyes scanned the beach while making many frequent stops to clean up, he couldn’t help but notice fragments of the traps used to catch crabs as they were everywhere. There were many rumors through the grapevine that lately a lot of fisherman had been having a hard time hauling in the financially rewarding catch as their traps come up missing or have been broken into. There was some speculation that perhaps a shark had taken up residence in the area but for all the fishermen that frequent the area no one had yet to spot any such shark. Even when one was spotted it was a mere baby that had gotten tangled in netting and taken to the rescue center for care. 

Tom let out a low irritated grumble as he rounded up the fragments taking mental note of how many broken traps littered the area noting that many of them had a red tie on them meaning they belonged to his neighbor. He could only imagine the amount of gripe he was gonna hear over the man's misfortune. His neighbor took pride in his custom made traps to catch crabs and lobsters and even he himself had him make him a few to catch a few for dinner here and there. There was gonna be a storm later and it wasn’t by the hands of mother nature and rather the colorful strings of profanity from an irate sailor. Though a laugh bubbled up out of Tom at the thought as his neighbors wife wouldn’t tolerate him cursing in front of their two daughters, that storm would be short lived.

Bags were heaved over Tom’s shoulders upon the completion of the cleanup before he backtracked to his trashcan near his home dumping the bags as well as setting aside some of the broken traps to show his neighbor later before returning to his boat to get it ready to cast off. He peeled seaweed off the sides and the bits scattered on his deck, opting to set them aside to return them to the sea along with any undesirable fish snared in his net later. He drifted about making sure the engine, winch, scanners and the remainder of his equipment were tip top shape because the faster he could find a school of fish and nab some, the faster he could be home to care for his wife and soon to be baby daughter. The final checks were completed in a manner of minutes and everything was in working condition. He made a mental note to be cautious as to his own lines as if something had been going around breaking the crab traps then surely he can have issues with his nets and lines as well. However he didn’t want to think about that possibility since he hadn’t seemed to have the string of misfortune bind him unlike others. It made him wonder if the ocean was thanking him for only taking only what he needed and not getting greedy. A glance upon the glistening waves filled his heart with high hopes of a pleasurable outcome before he weighed anchor starting the engine to leave his little port.

Tom rode atop the boat lazily steering the ship enjoying the smooth rhythmic ride before a familiar redhead aboard another nearby boat caught his attention. He steered his vessel closer so he was within shouting range and let loose the fog horn startling the man causing him to hit his head against the bottom of his mast letting out a yelp of surprise.

“Hey Jason!” Tom hollared at the redhead who was heard loudly cussing up a storm before turning to look at him with anger written all over his face.

“What?!” Jason bellowed back rubbing the small bump on his head before realizing who it was with his sour expression giving way to shock and confusion. “The hell man, shouldn’t you be home watching Allison?”

“Yeah, I’m just making a quick run so I don’t have to go out again.” Tom shouted back. “Can you do me a favor and ask June to watch her for me just in case? Please. I’ll only be out for a few hours.”

Jason folded his arms eyeing the man. “Fine, but after your run you are staying home, ya hear me? If you need anything let me know. You know I have no problem getting you what you need as you helped me with my girls.”

“I know and thanks. I won’t be long.” Tom waved to the man as he revved up the engine pulling away from the dock with Jason shouting for him to hurry up and finish up.

The waves licked the bottom of the boat setting it to bounce slightly in time while Tom watched the horizon before he decided that he was far enough out to sea before shutting the engine off letting the boat cruise to a stop. His hand glided over the controls turning on the fish finder with the hopes that he could find something nearby that he can nab real quick and be done with it so he could head home. While he waited for the fish finder to pick up some fish, he decided to play with the underwater mic he had recently got for grins so he could see if he could hear any whale songs. He had taken to recording their songs as each one was unique to the individual and he hoped that he could hear something as it was about that time of year that the whales passed though the area. He just hoped that the storm didn’t give them any trouble.

Tom gathered up the briefcase containing his mic and recorder from under his dash before climbing down the ladder pacing to the stern of the boat setting down the case to begin the set up. He pulled out the mic attaching it to the recorder making sure it was on and functioning before slipping on the wireless headphones. He adjusted the volume in the hopes his ears wouldn’t be blown out before slipping the mic into the water. Tom wrapped the wire for the mic around a metal cleat securing it in place before picking up the recorder and extending the wires of the mic taking the recorder back up to his control deck setting it aside while his eyes looked over the fish finder. 

A smile graced the man’s face as while the sound was weak and distant, he could hear a pod of whales singing to one another as they traveled. They sounded so happy and he was sure it was a family group since they would be in the middle of their migrations. Tom pulled up a chair sitting at the controls watching the fish finder as the boat bobbed and bounced from the tide while he listened to mother nature's underwater opera. He felt at peace as it was just him and the calm blue sea, part of him was happy he hadn’t found anything yet as it gave him a chance to relax, but he knew he needed to at least find something to help get a financial cushion to cover him once his daughter is born.

The man enjoyed the brief break to the fullest before he knew he needed to get a move on and started up the engine opting to venture a little further south down the coast line to areas where not many fishermen liked to go to despite the area being plentiful of fish. The area had been dubbed ‘the devil’s sea’ for the many stories of the mistortunes that befell fishermen when they fished in the area. Lines would always snap, nets torn to shreds, traps and buoys broken or sunk, it was as if the ocean itself protected the fish in the area. Tom had to admit that even he himself didn’t like to venture into the area, but oddly he never seemed to have such misfortunes like the others. Part of him wondered if it was because his nets were smaller than the others and he only took a net full and didn’t overfish like some of his more boisterous neighbors. It almost felt like the ocean allowed him to take just a little from the area since he didn’t over do it.

The fish finder hummed to life as it began to pick up clusters of fish that spanned the area earning a small chuckle from the man, go figures that the ‘devil’s sea’ would be abundant in fish versus the other areas. Deciding to have mother nature be his soundtrack while he worked, Tom eased himself down from his controls to begin prepping his net to get it ready to be lowered. He made sure the lines weren’t tangled and that there were no holes in the net before setting it to the side ready to head back to the controls to man the winch before a new sound began to drift through his headset bringing him to a stop.

Tom’s fingers gently pressed the headset to his ears as a small sorrowful hum drifted through the feeds followed by a series of small squeak like clicks. The sound was shallow and it pained Tom the more he listened to it. Whatever it was making the noises was in pain and needed help. Tom glanced at his radio debating if he should call the coast guard to alert them as to the possibility of a sick or injured animal for which he was assuming was a dolphin from the sounds and the clicks. However he knew that he needed to at least find the animal in question first before he made the call, he would have the radio at the ready just in case.

A few adjustments and the turn of a dial, Tom closely listened to the mic’s recordings as he set the boat to slowly cruise about the area while closely watching the fish finder drifting near the readings wondering if they were schools of fish or the sick dolphin. He frowned when he drifted too far from the sound as it got weaker turning back until the sound picked up again. The more he searched the more desperate he became at trying to find the animal as the sound seemed to be drifting and it was proving difficult to pinpoint its proper location as there was nothing visible on the surface.

A small flicker of light underwater caught the man’s attention as he peered past his controls to look at the small strange light show under water and carefully steered his boat closer to it to get a better look. However much to his surprise something struck the boat rocking it violently keeping him from getting too close to the light before it disappeared as if it was never there earning a look of confusion from the man. He couldn’t help but wonder what he hit and he hoped that he wouldn’t be taking in water, but the boat wasn’t tilting nor having any steering trouble so he could hope that it was ok. His hands glided over the sensors and steering testing the boat's status confirming it was ok before returning his attention to the headset to resume his search.

To Tom’s dismay not only did the brief light show stop, but so did the sounds of the animal in distress. His heart sank as the disappearance of the animal’s calls as it had probably succumbed to it’s injuries and slipped away. He wished he got to it sooner, but no matter where he looked, he simply couldn’t find it, the sounds were drifting too much. Plus something had hit the boat earlier, he prayed that he didn’t accidentally hit the animal he was trying to find, but part of him told him that wasn’t the case. Tom held a small moment of silence for the animal he was unable to help before deciding to go about his initial objective and to get some fish to bring home, his heart heavier than when he had left home.

“No time like the present I guess.” The man mumbled to himself as he slipped his now useless headset off to round up his mic set.

The wire was wound and mic was fished out of the water as Tom boxed up his equipment and returned them to his cabin. He spared a glance at the tape of the animal he heard earlier and made a mental note to ask Jason to take a listen to it later when he got back. Lord knows the man was out at sea just as often as he was so maybe he had heard it before, if not then he’ll turn the tape over to local marine biologists so they could take a crack at it.

Once all the unnecessary equipment was rounded up, Tom flicked a switch opening up a hole in his deck leading directly into his cargo hold. This little set up of his was his pride and joy as it made it easy to lower the net into the bay and drop the load off inside the boat so it can be sorted out and boxed internally rather than sitting on deck out in the sun. Once the doors were completely opened, he climbed down the stairs into the hold to set up the crates to house the fish as well as to fill the large tub he kept full of sea water. 

As a fisherman he felt it was his responsibility to be responsible about his fishing practices. If he accidentally fished up sea life that he didn’t need, he could house them in the tub until he finishes sorting his catch and return the animal or animals in question to the sea. Though he had to admit he hated accidentally fishing up larger animals like sharks as they were not only very heavy, but their teeth were something to watch out for. The last thing he wanted was to get bitten by helping out an animal in distress. Even though he knew larger accidental catches were a nuisance, the one thing he hated above all was plastic and trash. He had lost count as to the tonnage of plastic and trash he had caught along with the fish he was going for. The count of the number of sick or dead animals he had seen with the semi clear material wrapped around their bodies choking them or some accidentally consuming it and starving to death with their bodies unable to digest it was simply too much to count. He hated seeing so much human waste polluting the ocean as it not only gave him his livelihood, but was the origin of all life and a place of endless beauty. 

Tom finished filling the tub with sea water before climbing back out the hold and headed back up to the controls to evaluate which cluster he felt was worth going after. His eyes scanned the different sized groups of fish before deciding to shoot for a smaller cluster figuring he only needed to get some fish for the family and sell off the excess, he didn’t need an entire boat's worth. Once his decision was made one which cluster was going to be the catch of the day, Tom flicked a few switches watching the crane raise the net before moving it to the stern of the boat and began to lower it. He watched the chains until he was certain the net was deep enough before he switched the engine on and began to push the boat forward while watching the fish finder to gauge any course adjustments to maximize his run.

The cluster soon was behind him as indicated on the screen and seemed to be traveling at the same speed as the boat indicating that they were surely inside the net and that it was time to reel the net in to reduce the possibility of escape. Tom hit the lever for the winch which jerked before groaning as it began to withdraw the chains raising the net. Tom closely watched the crane and the chains as he began to see the top of the net as the fish were slowly coming into view earning a pleased smile on the man, it looked like he got a full nets worth which would last him long enough to stay home for a little while.

The look of satisfaction was quickly replaced by shock and concern when the crane began to groan and the winch whined from a sudden strain placed on both. “The hell is going on?” Tom grumbled as he looked over his struggling equipment.

He quickly removed himself from his control deck and raced to the winch to set up a smaller additional engine to help pull in the net as it seemed that something was tugging on the net. He hoped it wasn’t a shark or other larger animal trying to take some of his catch, let alone being caught up with it. He didn’t want to entertain the thought but the longer it took him to set up an additional motor and to reinforce the crane, the more he had to wonder as something was repeatedly yanking on the net. 

A few tugs on the motor later it sputtered to life allowing Tom to give the winch some additional help with the motor to help ease up the stress and to pull in the net\\. The tugging ceased once the second motor increased the rate the net was reeled in allowing the net to resume it’s withdrawal with little to no issues. Tom was left scratching his head completely baffled when there wasn’t any large animal caught in the net, just a school of mackerels. He stared at the school of the smaller fish that writhed and flopped in the net as it hung suspended over the cargo hold . The net appeared to be fine and there wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, so why was it having so much trouble a minute ago? 

Taking things as a lucky break, Tom gently lowered the net into the hold before releasing it letting the fish fill the bottom of the bay before withdrawing the net back up and out. Once the net was completely withdrawn he flipped the switch closing up the cargo hold before releasing the net once more. He eased himself off the controls and began to fold the net back up rolling it up for the next time round. He glanced over the crane before going to the winch taking a mental note to take it apart later to see if something was jammed or broken or if he needed to replace it entirely. A pleased hum drifted through the air once the deck was restored back to working order and the man grabbed his gloves, rolling up his sleeves preparing to spend a few hours below deck sorting out his catch.

The strong smell of fish and salt was Tom’s greeting as he descended the stairs leading into his cargo bay with fish flip flopping all over the floor. He quickly glanced over the pile looking for any unlucky animal but much to his relief only mackerels graced his vision. Looks like he won’t have to set anyone aside for release later.

Tom slowly dipped his boots into the waist deep pile of fish and he slowly waded to his racks to house the fish and the crates within them. He pulled out a crate setting it atop an oil drum he used as a trash can and grabbed his knife ready to go to work. His hand scooped up fish one by one as he quickly gutted them, dropping the guts into the drum and laid the fish in the crate packing them tightly. He hummed to himself as he worked quickly filling up a full rack of fish and topped it with a scoop of ice before moving on to the next one.

As time went on, it was easier for Tom to move about the cargo hold as there were fewer and few fish to wade through earning a satisfied look from the man. He had only been out for a few hours and the sun was just beginning to dip as the hints of the amber rays filtered through the portholes on the sides of the boat. He would be back home in plenty of time, just before dark. All in all he felt the day had gone quite well until something mixed in with the fish caught his eye. He waded over to the area in the far corner of the storage area to see what looked like a bit of plastic had gotten mixed in with his catch earning a deep scowl from the man. God can he just go one days worth of fishing without gathering up some trash?

Tom reached down to tug on the odd pinkish material to find that it was surprisingly spongy and soft for being plastic. Confusion danced on his face the more he tugged realizing that whatever it was was larger than he thought. Repositioning his gloves making sure he could get a good grip, the fisherman began to dig through the pile of fish tossing them aside trying to unearth what laid beneath them before a solid round pink material came into view along with what looked like pinkish purple tubes.

“The hell is this thing?” The man muttered to himself as his hands began to pull the object out of the pile of fish and bringing it into the light.

The creature in his hands was unlike anything he had ever seen before. It’s base was child sized with an oval-like midsection and a round head that fanned out to form what strongly resembled a jellyfish cap including the tendrils that hung from the rim. It had a strange almost cute cartoonish face with its eyes closed and a prominent frown. Oddly enough it looked like a bowtie was at the base of its neck and even stranger yet it had very human like arms ending in hands that he swore that looked like they were gloved and had 4 fingers. It’s lower half ended in long wavy ribbon-like tendrils that he realized was what he thought was plastic. He had no clue how to describe the creature in his hands other than it looking like a strange cartoon character mixed with ocean life.

Tom looked over the unconscious sea creature in his arms before quickly pacing to the tub of sea water hoping that this jellyfish like creature would recover if reintroduced back into the water. He couldn’t help but notice all the marks on it’s tendrils and how beaten up the little guy looked as if it was attacked by something. Though he couldn’t help but wonder what would want to attack an odd looking jellyfish-like creature that large, but that question would go unsolved. Tom failed to realize that as he was carrying the creature in his arms while being careful to avoid it’s tendrils just in case it could sting, the little jellyfish was beginning to wake up.

It blearily opened its eyes finding it was having difficulty moving and felt strange, like it was suddenly heavier than the water. It could feel like part of it was dragging against something as last it looked it had been drifting in the open sea where it didn’t belong, it was far away from it’s reef. The creature searched it’s memories trying to remember what happened last as it began to try and use it’s tendrils to try and search it’s strange surroundings. However it’s snapped awake as it felt itself being lowered into something that made it realize it was water. It had somehow been out of the water and something was carrying it.

The creature jerked in Tom’s arms with the man looking down to be met with a pair of bright purple oval eyes that looked like a piece of pie had been cut from the opposite sides before it squeaked loudly in his arms thrashing about.

“Wait! Hold still!” Tom pleaded with the thrashing jellyfish as the little creature tried to push off him resulting with it wiggling out of his arms and landing on the floor with an additional squeak in pain.

The jellyfish’s mind raced as it remembered that it had been caught in a fisherman's net and the sheer weight of the fish had knocked it out when the net was released as it was too weak to free itself. It scrambled to try and get away from the human that was repeatedly trying to pick it up, but the lack of water and being soft bodied was making it difficult to even move. It didn’t have a solid enough form to allow proper movement. It’s body couldn’t gain purchase on the slippery floor of the boat and there wasn’t anything for it to grasp onto as it squeaked in distress begging for the man to leave it alone.

Tom repeatedly tried to pick up the squeaking jellyfish as it tried it's best to fight him off with its wiggling and flailing arms as it’s tendrils were useless. He had to admit that the little guy was putting up quite a fight despite not being in water, though he needed to get it in the water quickly before it could dry out.

“C’mon” Tom grasped it by what he assumed was the waist and gave it enough of a squeeze to try to not hurt it, but to also keep it from wiggling free earning even louder distressed squeaks as it’s hands repeatedly tried to hit him and push him off.

The fisherman’s efforts to restrain the creature paid off as he managed to lift it high enough to try and set it back in the tub as the little jellyfish didn’t realize the man’s intentions of helping it. Since it had been raised up enough, it managed to lift it’s tendrils high enough to sting Tom’s arms making the man drop it into the tub from the pain.

“Shit” Tom hissed in pain withdrawing from the tub gazing at his arms looking at the marks the jellyfish gave him as he hoped the sting wouldn’t kill him. However the longer he looked at them the more he realized it was just skin irritation and pain, he can use medicine to counter that easily enough. He looked back towards the tub to see the little jellyfish moving around in it’s enclosure frantically. “Don’t worry little guy, once I finish clearing out the last of the fish I can take you back up and return you to where you belong.”

The creature did nothing more than to eye him worriedly from the tub with it’s cap just barely breaking the water’s surface. It hoped the human was telling the truth and wasn’t going to hurt it, it just wanted to go home. It sank to the bottom of the tub curling in on itself, small whines escaped it along with clicks hoping that it’s friend could come and help it. If it’s friend was nearby and could hear its call.

Tom felt the tension leave his shoulders at the sounds emanating from the tub while the chirps of familiarity rang in his heart. The whines and the clicks matched the sounds he had heard on the mic earlier in the day, this little jellyfish was the one making the distress calls. He paced up to the tub peering over the side seeing it’s curled up at the bottom and noted the injuries it was sporting, the little guy was hurt and was probably cast out to sea from the previous night's storm. He had to admit he felt pity for it as it clearly needed some time to heal, but lucky for it, he knew some areas that he’s seen jellyfish before and with any luck they would be kinder to it. Sure he might have to deal with the potential coast guard asking him why he was at the reefs, but he can deal with that later. First he has to clear out the cargo hold so he can lower the crane into place to lift the tub up and out so he can let it go.

The man let out a sigh, bending down picking up his knife only for a twinge of pain to shoot up his arm making him flinch before his eyes fell to his arms. The area that had been stung looked like it was beginning to swell and the pain was definitely getting more severe. A small frown formed on his face at the marks, but he couldn’t blame the little guy. It doesn’t know that he’s only trying to help it and it was only natural for it to defend itself. He was just thankful that the stings didn’t kill him, though he hoped the pain wouldn't get any worse than it already was.

That small hope came to die in his thoughts the longer Tom worked gathering up the last of the fish packing them away completely clearing the cargo hold. Beads of sweat poured off the man as he was finding extreme difficulty in moving his arms as it simply hurt too much to do so. Even the soft touch of the fabric of his clothes resting against his arms were making them feel like they were meltings off the bone. Little did the man realize that his struggles were being watched by a pair of eyes.

The jellyfish felt small twinges of pity watching the man struggle more and more to try and do his job, while at the same time it was growing hungry at all the fish he was working with. It had no choice to injure the man as it only just dawned on it that he only wanted to get it back into the water. That brief pitty gave way to sorrow as it sank back to the bottom of the tub. Those fish looked so good and it was so hungry, it had no clue what the man was going to do with it, let alone if it would even see tomorrow. It hoped it wouldn't be put on display like some trophy like some humans do with shark jaws decorating their boats or being killed. It glanced down at it’s battered body noting that some of it’s injuries were finally starting to heal, but that wasn’t helping it in its deplorable situation. It was only being kept safe for a moment, but who knows how long that will last. A small whine escaped it at its melancholy thoughts, it curled up on itself with it’s empty stomach protesting it’s inability to be filled.

The sound of the jellyfish's stomach earned a small chuckle from the man as he paced back to the tub after securing the last rack. “I take it you're hungry.” he peered into the tub.

His comment was met with a pair of wide purple eyes, but much to his surprise it looked like the creature nodded in response to his comment. Tom had to admit that at that moment he had to wonder if the creature was somehow able to understand what he was saying or if it was just a trick of the rippling water.

Thomas backed away from the tub and despite his burning arms, he grasped onto a crate from one of the racks and began to remove it from the rack. He spared a glance over his shoulders to see that the jellyfish had lifted itself enough to peek over the rim of the tub watching him. It’s eyes barely visible under its cap and once it realized the man saw it, it dove back into the water earning a smirk in amusement from Tom. It really did seem like it understood that he was getting some food for it. He hefted the crate and paced back to the side of the tub setting it down opening it before grasping onto a mackerel.

“Here you go.” Tom lowered the fish to the water letting it go allowing it to sink into the tub.

He watched as the jellyfish eagerly snatched up the fish and began to eat it leaving nothing behind, not even the bones. Once it was done eating, it’s purple eyes looked back up at him as it seemed to move closer to the surface as it was giving him an oddly human-like hopeful expression. A warm smile graced Tom’s face as he reached back into the crate and slid a few more fish into the tub while watching the jellyfish happily snatching up all that was dropped in the water eagerly gobbling them up. 

After a time, Tom couldn’t help but wonder how much the little guy could eat as he was definitely packing it in, it nearly ate the entire crate. Tom passed the jellyfish the last fish from the crate, watching it slowly eat it before sinking back to the bottom of the tub with what he assumed was a pleased expression on its face, it was finally full and satisfied. It’s purple eyes looked back up at him and what resembled a small smile graced its face in thanks for the meal.

“Alright, here we go.” Tom winced as he rolled up his sleeves swallowing the urges to shout in pain.

The jellyfish was relaxed in the bottom of the tub until something jerked it and it could feel the tub sliding earning confused squeaks and chirps. It looked up to see the roof opening up and some strange rod it recognized as a crane that it had seen on fishing boats before, moving just above it as something was descending into the room. It’s scarred squeak was met with the man peering over the tub giving it a reassuring smile.

“Don’t worry, I’m just gonna get the tub out of the hull so I can take you to the reefs, hopefully you can recover there and won’t have anyone hurt you there.” The man spoke as he wrapped straps abound the tub. He didn't know why he felt the need to explain to the jellyfish what he was doing, but part of him felt the need to.

Tom lightly tugged on the straps making sure they were secure before locking everything in place. Just as his eyes scanned the clasps for the straps he noticed the jellyfish clinging to the side of the tub watching him with concern laced on its face. Taking a chance, Tom slowly reached his hand to the tub and gently placed it on the cap rubbing it gently before the jellyfish dove back into the water.

It watched the man from the water as it couldn’t believe the man had touched it. The gesture wasn’t at all threatening and if anything, it felt reassuring, a glimmer of hope began to flicker in the jellyfish's heart that the man actually meant what he said and was going to return it home. It resumed clinging to the sides of the tub as it felt it raise up earning more squeaks as it grasped onto the rim to try and stabilize itself. The tub rose from the floor and swayed slightly with the sounds of the crane creaking away from hefting the tub before bringing it to a stop. It looked over the side of the tub watching the man leave the hull climbing the stairs leading to the deck before climbing into what it assumed was where the controls were. 

Levers were pulled and switches flipped as Tom shut the cargo bay, restoring the deck to its former glory before lowering the tub, but not releasing it just yet. He started the engine setting the boat to cruise all the while taking occasional glances at the tub seeing its occupant peering over the side watching the waves crash against the side of the boat. Tom leaned in his seat heading back inland towards the reefs that were the pride and joy of the area and often frequented by marine biologists. He could already hear the lecture he was gonna get about taking his fishing boat there, but he could care less, he had a little occupant that needed to be kept safe so it can hopefully heal.

The boat bounced and bobbed during its travel all the while the jellyfish watched the waters. It couldn’t help but wonder where it was going and hoped the man didn’t trick it and was gonna keep it as a pet. Those thoughts died upons seeing the ever familiar green wall that outlined the edges of the reef it called home. It could hardly contain its excitement upon hearing the man shut the engine off letting the boat cruise further into the coral reef. It was home!

Tom flicked the engine off steering the boat deeper into the reef letting the tide carry it in and was thankful it was high tide making it easier to head in deeper. He peeked back towards the tub to see the jellyfish creature swimming in circles before looking at the side of the boat, he had to stifle a laugh, someone was sure happy. He manned the crane lifting the tub slowly off the deck before moving it to the side of the boat slowly dipping it into the water but not quite submerging it completely before stopping it. He shut the motor off holding the tub in place before he climbed down off his controls.

A warm smile grew on the man’s face the closer he got to the side of his boat looking down fully into the tub with the jellyfish looking up at him excitedly. “Well this is good-bye little guy.” Tom rested his hands on the side of clasps ready to sink half the tub into the sea to let his little companion go. “Hope you take care of yourself.” 

Tom reached up and undid a portion of the clasps that held the tub up allowing half of it to fully submerge into the sea and thus letting the jellyfish free. It wasted no time removing itself from the container and eagerly swimming back into the depths of the ocean from whence it came. A sense of satisfaction grew in Tom’s heart at watching the little guy go. He hoped that it would be ok and hopefully it wouldn’t end up in his or anyone else's nets again. He removed himself from the side of the boat to begin to man the crane to pull the tub out of the water before a splashing sound caught his attention.

Pink flooded Tom’s vision as something collided into him sending him tumbling overboard and into the water. The man flailed in the waters as something was dragging him down, his lungs screaming for air. His eyes were freed of whatever obstructed his vision to come face to face with the jellyfish from earlier. It clapped it’s hands and tendrils together before opening them to form a bubble that it promptly placed over Tom’s head. His vision was clear and he realized it was air greedily taking in the much needed oxygen looking at the creature before him in confusion.

“I’d like to thank you.” the jellyfish lightly swayed in place giving the man a sheepish grin. “You kept me safe, gave me food and even returned me home when you didn’t have to. I’m sorry for stinging you earlier, I thought you were gonna hurt me when you did the exact opposite.”

Tom looked at the creature in pure shock and amazement that it spoke, and even was expressing gratitude to him, though it was strange as it sounded like a child. The look of confusion on his face gave way to a shadow of a grin as he relaxed. “Well it wouldn’t have been right to hurt you, especially when I was responding to a distress call.'' His comment earned a head tilt as a look of confusion danced on its face prompting Thomas to continue. “I heard a distress call and I decided to try and find the animal that needed help with the hopes of getting it to a rescue center so it can be given medical treatment. I never thought it would be you making the noises, but no matter where I looked, I couldn’t find it and then it stopped. Honestly I thought I was too late and had no choice but to go back to my original objective to get some fish for home. I never imagined that I would accidentally fish you up in my nets, let alone you being the source of the sounds I sought. When you were in my holding tub, I heard your whines, they were the same sound I searched for. I had to do something to help.”

A warm smile bloomed on the jellyfish's face before it drifted to the man wrapping it’s tendrils around him hugging him. “Thank you.”

Tom stiffed at the touch knowing full well that jellyfish tentacles sting upon contact, but soon realized there was no pain and it was a hug, just a warm heartfelt hug of appreciation. The man laughed as he cautiously wrapped his arms around the creature hugging it in turn. “You’re welcome little guy.”

“My name’s Benny.” The creature spoke in his grasp, the man looking down to see it’s bright purple eyes looking into his with an equally bright smile. “Benny the jellyfish demon.”

“The name’s Thomas, It’s a pleasure to meet you Benny. Take care of yourself out there, you hear me.” the man placed his hands on Benny’s shoulders looking into his eyes firmly.

“I will.” Benny beamed at the man before a deep loud click like pulse was heard followed by a series of smaller clicks earning a brief troubled look from him. “I gotta go.” he looked back up at the man. “Thank you for helping me.”

Benny wrapped Tom in a hug once more before wrapping his tendrils around Tom’s arms causing the man to flinch from the pain. He wanted to ask what the little jellydemon was doing before his tendrils began to glow. Benny looked up at the man giving him the biggest grin he could muster before pulling away allowing Tom to look down at his arms. The look of shock and relief quickly grew on Thomas's face when he saw that his arms weren’t red anymore, the pain was gone, and they looked just like they had never been stung at all. Before he could say anything Benny swam next to him lifting him up to get him close to the side of his boat “You need to go home.”

Tom watched as the little jellyfish gave him a warm smile before a flick of its tendrils caused it to drift from him before it’s cap fanned out before contracting, sending it jetting away and out of his sight disappearing into the reef. As if it was never there. Tom didn’t have long to ponder before the air bubble it had created popped meaning he had to get to the surface quickly. 

The man wasted no time swimming to the surface grasping onto the side of the boat looking out to the open sea. The waters were calm as if nothing had transpired there meaning his little venture was over. A sigh escaped him along with an amused grin as he pulled himself aboard brushing himself off of the bits of seaweed that clung to him. His thoughts and memories danced in his mind with each step he took towards his controls ready to head home. He knew he couldn’t tell Allison what happened, she wouldn’t believe him. Perhaps it can be a story he’ll tell his daughter when she’s old enough. A story about a little jellyfish that had got caught in his net and the efforts to help it as the ocean is the cradle of humanity and love should be given to the creatures within it. 

The engine sputtered to life with the bow turning to face home as Tom steered his boat out of the reef taking care in maneuvering around the kelp beds that disguised the rocks that helped them form a protective bowl around the reef. He paused looking over his shoulder upon leaving the threshold that divided the open sea and the reef and couldn’t help the smile growing on his face. He couldn’t help but wonder if he’ll ever see Benny again, perhaps if he were to enjoy some diving in the reef that maybe he’ll see him again. He hoped that the little guy would be safe in the protection of corals and rocky caves and far away from fishing lines and nets. A small glimmer of a flashing familiar light echoed within the reef before it disappeared. The little guy was safe and he was home. 

The horizon glowed a golden amber with the sun to Tom’s back casting his shadow across the deck with his eyes fixed upon his own home slowly coming into view. He had returned a one little one to the sea where he belonged, and now it was time for him to return to that land where he belongs.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this little one shot story as there is a little more to come in due time :3


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